Classical drug resistance in the molecular age Robert O Connor, Ph.D. Senior Programme Leader, Translational Cancer Pharmacology Lecturer in Biological Sciences, School of Nursing Chair ICORG Translational DSSG, Dublin City University robert.oconnor@dcu.ie NICB 1
National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology (NICB) 3,200 m 2 20 million biomedical research centre Built from a previous centre (1987) Core Biological Themes Cancer Commercial Biotechnology Diabetes Occular Stem Cell Treatment Molecular Virology Focus on Industrial & Clinical Translation www.nicb.ie 2
Core Research Facilities Transcriptomics Affymetrix Q-PCR Bioinformatics Proteomics MS/ LC-MS DIGE Bioinformatics Cell characterisation Confocal microscopy Laser capture microdissection Immunocytochemistry FACS LC-MS Drug quantitation 13 Class C Cell culture suites Associated core services & cell lines (~350) 3
ICORG The all Ireland Cooperative Oncology Research Group 32 members in October 96 2011 Membership 404 including >95% of the Island s Medical, Radiation, Haematological and Surgical Oncologists. A similar percentage of the Specialist site staff and an increasing cohort of leading Translational Scientists >100 in translational group www.icorg.ie 4
Number of Patients from Whom Translational Samples Collected (Cumulative ) Translational + Clinical Approximately 5% of all Irish patients diagnosed with cancer are enrolled in ICORG studies 5
Now to the science!! 6
Drug resistance Drug resistance - Tumour cells do not respond to drug treatment Causes Multiple and often in combination Apoptosis Resistance Metabolic alterations Tumour biochemistry changes Target mutations Drug transport alterations Overexpression of drug efflux proteins 7
Pharmacokinetic resistance Pharmacodynamic resistance Description of resistance mechanism Description of resistance mechanism Resistance due to factors largely outside of individual tumour cells Blood perfusion alterations reducing delivery of drug Alterations in oxygen tension Tumour encapsulation Overall classification of major resistance mechanisms Alterations in redox potential Reduction in tumour permeation Alterations in tumour and cellular ph Alterations in whole body metabolism, distribution and/or elimination Resistance factors evident within tumour cells Reduced cellular drug uptake (active or passive Decreased expression of target enzyme/receptor mechanisms) Increased expression/activity of drug efflux pumps Increased expression of target molecules Vesicular drug localisation/sequestration Increased expression of metabolic enzymes Decreased expression of metabolic enzymes (for prodrugs) Mutation of target Alterations in apoptotic cascade Alterations in tumour cell growth rate (inc. senescence) Alterations in cellular repair mechanism Stromal/autocrine/paracrine factors secreted which 8 protect tumour cells from drug treatment
Major Multidrug Resistance P-Glycoprotein (P-gp) BCRP MRP-1 Transporters in Cancer Broad (and sometimes overlapping) cancer drug specificity 9
Ideal Cancer Treatment Mechanism of action in cancer resistance Drug enters cell Drug gets to target Cell Dies Effect of Transporter Drug enters cell Drug pumped out 10 Cell Survives
P-gp resistance in live cells Resistant DLKP-A cells 2uM epirubicin for 180 mins Resistant DLKP-A cells 2uM epirubicin for 180 mins PLUS resistance inhibitor 11
Physiological roles Transporters play an important role in drug pharmacokinetics Physiological barriers (usually have redundancy) E.g. blood brain barrier, blood-testis barrier etc. P-gp particularly important for drug clearance Urinary and biliary Body-wide inhibition of P-gp may increase AUC and drug toxicity 12
Drug Treatment in the Molecular Age A targeted therapy is a drug with a focused mechanism that specifically acts on a well-defined target or biologic pathway causing regression or destruction of the malignant cells. Targeting receptor tyrosine kinases in cancer cells : Block signal transduction Inhibit growth Promote apoptosis 13
How do these agents interact with Drug Transporters? Its Complex!! 14
Lapatinib HER2 and EGFR-targeting TKI Used in HER2 + breast cancer 15
Lapatinib inhibits P-gp-mediated resistance Epirubicin Epi & DMSO Epi & 0.25uM Lapatinib Epi + 1uM lapatinib Epi & 5uM Lapatinib Epi & 10uM Lapatinib 16
% Apototic cells P-gp inhibition increases substrateinduced apoptosis DLKP-A 50 45 40 35 30 Lapatinib 1 µm Chemotherapy drugs alone In combination with lapatinib 25 20 15 10 5 0 Vinblastine 33 nm Paclitaxel 304 nm Docetaxel 35 nm Apoptosis levels as determined by TUNEL staining in DLKP-A (P-gp positive) in response to 72 hour drug treatments of lapatinib in combination with vinblastine, paclitaxel and docetaxel. N=3 17
Vanadate sensitive ATPase nmol Pi/ min/ mg membrane protein Vanadate sensitive ATPase nmol Pi/ min /mg protein Lapatinib- P-gp inhibitor but not a substrate 70 60 50 P-gp ATPase Inhibition Gefitinib Erlotinib Lapatinib Cyclosporin A Control 70 60 P-gp ATPase Activation 40 50 30 40 20 30 10 20 0 0 10 20 30 40 Concentration (um) 10 0 0 10 20 30 40 Concentration (um) The effects of lapatinib, gefitinib, erlotinib and cyclosporin A on vanadate-sensitive P-gp ATPase inhibition (A) and activation (B). For (A) the control represents the ATPase activity measured in the presence of 45 µm verapamil (P-gp substrate) but in the absence of added test compounds. For (B), the control represents the ATPase activity measured in the absence of added test compounds. Each 18 concentration was determined in duplicate. All compounds were dissolved in DMSO except cyclosporin A which was dissolved in ethanol. N=2
C.P.M./10,000 Cells Lapatinib is potent 90 80 70 Lapatinib Erlotinib Gefitinib 60 50 Cyclosporin A Elacridar 40 30 20 10 0 100 nm docetaxel 0.25 µm inhibitor + docetaxel 1 µm inhibitor + docetaxel 2.5 µm inhibitor + docetaxel 5 µm inhibitor + docetaxel 10 µm inhibitor + docetaxel DMSO + docetaxel Accumulation of 100 nm 14 C radio-labelled docetaxel in DLKP-A over 90 minutes. All inhibitors were dissolved in DMSO, 19 except cyclosporin A (ethanol). N=3
Mass per million cells (ng) Lapatinib is not a good substrate Lapatinib Efflux in DLKP-A 6000 5000 without Elacridar with Elacridar 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 0 30 60 120 Time (mins) Cells exposed to 2uM lapatinib for 120 mins then cellular levels quantitated Note the very large amounts of Lapatinib found in cells 20
Summary Lapatinib potent inhibitor of P-gp poor substrate of P-gp 21
Do Molecularly Targeted drugs have any indirect impacts on transporter activity? 22
Impact of MTA treatment on P-gp expression 23
Impact on MRP-1 24
Impact on BCRP 25
Arbitrary Units Lapatinib induction of P-gp is concdependent P-gp expression in A549-T Lapatinib µm 0 0.1 0.25 0.5 1 2.5 10 P-gp β-actin 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Control 0.1 µm Lapatinib 0.25 µm Lapatinib 0.5 µm Lapatinib 1 µm Lapatinib 2.5 µm Lapatinib 10 µm Lapatinib Western blot of P-gp expression following 48 hour 0.1 µm, 0.25 µm, 0.5 µm, 1 µm, 2.5 µm, and 10 µm lapatinib treatments in A549-T. 26 Control was A549-T cells incubated with growth medium for 48 hours.
P-gp mrna levels unaltered RT-PCR mrna analysis of P-gp mrna expression in A549-T following 24 hour 2.5 µm and 5 µm lapatinib 27
Summary Lapatinib induces a drug-dependent increase in P- gp expression This effect is negated since lapatinib is a potent inhibitor of P-gp Other MTAs (TKIs) induce various changes in transporter expression These changes aren t permanent 28
Dasatinib is substrate but poor inhibitor of P-gp 29
30
P-gp expression reduces efficacy of Dasatinib 31
Clinical investigations MRP-1 Phase I + II (melanoma) evaluations of sulindac (MRP-1 inhibitor) in combination with epirubicin No major increase in efficacy 32
Clinical Translation- Lapatinib CT 1225/7/1 Phase I of Lapatinib with Epirubicin in metastatic breast cancer 5 Centres ICORG collaboration, Investigator-led GSK study Can Epirubicin be used with Lapatinib? Any indication of altered Toxicity? Efficacy? 33
Lap& epirubicin- Phase I results 75mg/m 2 Epi plus 1250mg lapatinib, tolerable (escalate epi) 80 mg/m 2 epirubicin 2 DLTs Hepatotoxicity Carditoxicity Otherwise clinical values are largely similar 9 patients 7 response evaluable 4- disease stabilisation >/= 3 cycles 3 partial responses So Lapatinib can be used with epirubicin but slightly increases toxicity. Phase II to start shortly 34
Conclusions Emerging small molecularly targeted agents (MTAs/TKIs) can have major interactions with classical drug resistance mechanisms. Agents can be inhibitors or substrates Substrates- Potential for resistance to MTA Inhibitors- Potential to alter PK of concomitantly administered drugs- careful clinical examination Can alter expression of transporters Interpretation complex Can we use MTA-mediated transporter modulation???? 35
Acknowledgements Prof. Martin Clynes Prof. John Crown Dr. Denis Collins Dr. Laura Breen Grainne Dunne M.Sc. Dr. Aoife Devery Dr. Sandra Roche Dr. Finbar O Sullivan Funding ICORG GSK Our patients DCU, Cancer Research Ireland, PRTLI 36
Obrigado! 37